


The Missing Piece

by thebigbengal



Category: Twin Peaks
Genre: Angst, Gen, Missing Scene, Season/Series 01, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me-Related
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 11:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13680675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebigbengal/pseuds/thebigbengal
Summary: There are no such things as coincidences, and Dale Cooper finds himself all too late to make a connection.





	The Missing Piece

They buried Laura Palmer that morning. A lovely ceremony, only the kindest words spoken of the deceased, and attended by dozens, and if it hadn’t been for the unfortunate mishap of the father throwing himself on the coffin as they lowered her, or the boyfriends going at each other's throats, it might even be considered a beautiful outing on a crystal clear day.

It was open casket. Her face wasn’t in the worst shape upon discovery just a few days ago, save for the icy blue pallor which could be easily covered with makeup, and it would be the only exposed part of her anyhow. The mortician did an exceptional job restoring that pink life to her, despite her current state not calling for it. The display had no effect on Dale, nor Doctor Hayward and Sheriff Truman. They’d already seen her as the fresh work of a killer but, they had to admit, she at least looked to be at peace, for whatever that’s worth.

A need for reflection called Dale to the cemetery in the dead of night. His lungs throbbed at the sight of the bare plot of soil in the grassy range. He whipped out his tape recorder and went off on his usual tangents for Diane to write down weeks in the future, when his voice reached her. Laura’s had the most bouquets out of all them, and a stuffed animal or two for good measure. Though he kept wandering from slab to slab, shooting off thoughts and tediously detailed observations on anything and everything he could think of, the fresh grave announced itself to him every chance it had, so he listened.

Only a day or two ago, he was debriefed with a recent report and a single photo of the victim during her homecoming dance, then introduced to her corpse within a less-than-ideally lit room. His interest in the case piqued with the uncovered connection to another murder a year prior. She became a host of clues to his puzzle.

And then the dream.

 

“——— killed me.”

 

_Remember… I can’t remember._

 

The electric humming on his lips and ear hung precariously since he woke up.

Laura Palmer. A girl that _looks_ like Laura Palmer. She is filled with secrets. Sometimes her arms bend back.

One week ago, his words echoed out and returned to him in that cemetery. “She’s in high school. She’s sexually active. She’s using drugs. She’s crying out for help.”

 

This is her.

 

He could have done something, couldn’t he? If he had only identified her sooner.

Albert didn’t need to be right next to him for his frustration to ring loud and clear. “For god’s sake, Coop, that’s half the high school girls in America!”

But Dale saw her plainly, lost and frightened, standing in a darkened hallway that couldn’t have belonged to any known house on Earth. She dashed through him and fell apart.

Had he latched on when he had the chance, Laura would be home and not under his feet.

The strange red room had the impression of his shoes treading the floor hundreds of times over, but he never once got up from his seat to move. Minuscule pinpricks buzzed on his tongue. All sounds came out either like stale honey, or loose smog, and his skin felt three sizes too big at his neck and too small at his hands.

The little man danced, and bright, flashing lights of unknown origin briefly stabbed the deep, red gloom to bring out Laura’s face as she drew nearer.

She smiled his whole visit, but a foreboding sting resounding from that unearthly hall - the photo, her house - and onto her lips, which she pressed to him and spoke her little secret. It taunts him again, and he reaches out like before, but slips away into the dirt. The rest of her words climbed up.

 

“I feel like I know her.”

 

 _Then who was that, and where had Laura gone to?_ He thought.

The grave answered him. His heart trembled. This is where all humans will end up at some point or another. Dale knows this, and once, even expected it to come sooner.

A cool, steady flowing river, rushing over, and plotting course for the vast ocean. Then he woke up, alive, and the woman he loved taken in his place.

Though Laura went more violently than Dale would have, he wondered if she flowed down a river, too. All the way out, floating under black skies mottled with fireflies and precious stones.

 

_Hopefully, it was just as gentle with her._

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired partially by the "Diane... The Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper," a good listen with some parts taken directly from the show and little bits never heard before.
> 
> Edit: Forgot about Bobby and James throwing hands.


End file.
